Tom Brennan - METS ROAD TRIP OVER

PC - Ernest Dove

BOOM!!!

JIM MORRISON SAYS, "STRANGE DAYS HAVE FOUND US"

DOORS to wins are slamming shut.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

Losing 6 out of the last eight, the Mets head home.

Noah Syndergaard was lousy again - ERA of 5.90 - and only 34 Ks in 29 innings.  Why "only"?  Because that is pretty much the entire staff's combined K rate.  And he should do better.

Thor allowed 6 runs (4 earned - yes, Amed made 2 errors) in 5 innings, and admitted he needs to do better.  We thank him for his transparency - and accuracy. 

We need Matz and Vargas to do better, too.

Good news though - 3 hitless relief innings from the previously quite hittable Rob Gsellman (2.57 ERA).

I will, however, remind everyone that partly behind the Mets' 11-10 start and poor pitching (5.57 ERA) is GREAT hitting by every opposing team so far not named "Marlins".

The Mets are on pace to hit 216 homers - but that only ranks the Mets 16th out of 30 teams with 28 homers, and just half that of Seattle.  In fact, with 862 major league homers in 648 team-games to date, the average major league pace for a team is 216 homers.   

How do you spell "juiced"?

Thor hit a homer that Dexter Fowler tipped over the fence once he failed to make a difficult catch or have it hit the wall unaided - thank you, Dexter.  It is clear you are a big tipper.  Waiters like us (Mets fans, that is, waiting since 1986 for another World Series title) thank you.

Michael Conforto (.300) continued his scorching hitting with his 6th homer.

Robbie Cano is now heating up (10 for his last 30) and had 2 hits, including a HR to left center.  Of course, no good streak goes unpunished, and he gets nailed with a pitch on the wrist that the umps did not give him a HBP on, got Mickey ejected - typical Mets stuff. 

And, of course, Pete Alonso crushed another tape measure shot to center, 114+ MPH, measured at 444 feet, although the Mets' announcer more accurately described it as a 470 footer - after all, it cleared the center field berm.  Watch the video, judge for yourself.  His name was changed this spring from Peter to Pete, and now has been legally changed to "BEAST".

And Jeff McNeil hitless for 2 straight days?  How strange is that??

The "easy" series continue as the Mets come home to play 3 with the Phillies (averaging 5.5 runs per game) and then 3 with the Brewers (averaging 5 runs per game), before 4 hopefully "we can exhale now" games for the pitchers against the Cincy Reds (hitting .197 and 3rd lowest in scoring, with only 16 more runs than Seattle has home runs).

Expected weather tonight?  Well, April showers do bring May flowers, right?